Category: housingandplanning

14 January 2019The Tenant Fees Bill has its third reading, a chance to ‘tidy up’ the bill and make changes, in the Lords on Tuesday 15 January.

Members are expected to discuss two amendments relating to interest payments owed by landlords or letting agents to enforcement authorities.Lords report stage: Tuesday 11 DecemberMembers discussed the acceptance of multiple holding deposits for the same property, the approval and designation of client money protection schemes and the requirement to belong to such a scheme.Lords committee stage day two: Tuesday 20 NovemberMembers discussed the early termination of tenancies and payments in respect of identity and immigration status checks.Report stage, a further chance to examine the bill and make changes, is scheduled for 5 December.Lords committee stage day one: Monday 5 NovemberThe first day of committee stage of this bill took place in Grand Committee, a room outside the Lords chamber. In Grand Committee, any member can take part and decisions on amendments can be made, but no votes can take place.Members discussed a range of subjects, including:the government’s duty to provide tenants with guidance on the effects of this billthe reimbursement of costs incurred by enforcement agencies in the exercise of their dutiesthe requirement of tenants to make payments to cover a landlord or agent’s loss due to a breach of the tenancy contractLords second reading: Wednesday 10 OctoberMembers discussed unfair letting fees, compensation payments to tenants and home share schemes.Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative), parliamentary under-secretary in the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, responded on behalf of the government.Tenant Fees Bill summaryThis bill will aim to:make renting fairer and more affordable for tenants by reducing the costs at the outset of a tenancyimprove transparency and competition in the private rental marketban letting fees paid by tenants in Englandimprove fairness, competition and affordability in the lettings sectorFurther informationImage: iStockphoto

07 January 2019The Economic Affairs Committee takes evidence on social care workforce challenges from Skills for Care, the Social Care Workforce Research Unit and UNISON.

WitnessesTuesday 8 January in Committee Room 1, Palace of WestminsterAt 3.35pm.Sharon Allen OBE, CEO, Skills for CareGuy Collis, Policy Officer, UNISONProfessor Jill Manthorpe, Director, NIHR Social Care Workforce Research UnitLikely QuestionsDespite warnings about social care approaching a ‘tipping point’, the system appears to have been resilient to date. Why is this?Are there regional differences in the quality and availability of social care? Can these be overcome?The Migration Advisory Committee recently reported that providing an easier route for migrants into social care would not help with recruitment problems in the sector. Do you agree?Why are there high vacancy and turnover rates in social care and how can they be reduced?Does social care need to become more of a profession and how can the career path for social carers be improved?Do the public understand how to navigate the social care system? What makes the system complex to navigate for those who require care and their families?Further InformationImage: iStockphoto

20 December 2018Melanie Onn, the Shadow Minister for Housing, Communities and Local Government has asked an urgent question on statistics relating to the deaths of homeless people.

Following a project by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) will today, for the first time, release an official report on homeless deaths. Announcing the collection of this “experimental data”, the ONS said their report would,

“Act as a measure for the number of rough sleepers and night shelter and hostel users that die each year and will improve understanding of how and why homeless people die”.

Housing Secretary James Brokenshire outlined the Government’s policies on tackling rough sleeping.Melanie Onn accused the Government of complacency and “outsourcing of responsibility” on this issue.Transcripts of proceedings in the House of Commons Chamber are available in Hansard online three hours after they happen.Image: iStockFollow the @HouseofCommons on Twitter for updates on the UK House of Commons Chamber.Please fill in our quick feedback survey to help us improve our news content.

20 December 2018The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill had its third reading, a chance to ‘tidy up’ the bill and make changes, in the Lords on Wednesday 19 December.This is a private member’s bill. A private member’s bill is a type of public bill (that affects the public). Private members’ bills must go through the same set of procedures as other public bills.

This bill aims to amend the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 to require that residential rented accommodation is provided and maintained in a state of fitness for human habitation; to amend the Building Act 1984, making provision for the liability for works on residential accommodation that do not comply with Building Regulations.No changes were made at third reading.As both Houses have agreed on the text of the bill it now awaits the final stage of Royal Assent when it will become an Act of Parliament (law).Royal Assent is scheduled for 20 December.Lords committee stage: Wednesday 12 December.As no changes were suggested to the bill, a motion was agreed to that both committee and report stages be dispensed with and that the bill progress directly to third reading. This procedure is known as ‘order of commitment discharged’.Second readingThe Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill had it second reading, the key debate on the draft law’s purpose and principles, on 23 November.Lords news: Private member’s bills November 2018Further InformationImage: iStockphoto

17 December 2018Members of the Lords will discuss draft regulations on the fee structure for applications for a grant of probate, in the House of Lords on Tuesday 18 December.

Draft Non-Contentious Probate (Fees) Order 2018This statutory instrument introduces a new regime of fees for applications for a grant of probate, with a banded structure based on the value of the estate. It increases the estate threshold below which no fee for an application for a grant of probate is payable from £5,000 to £50,000.It also removes applications for a grant of probate from the generally applicable remissions scheme for courts and tribunal fees (‘Help with Fees’), but retains the Lord Chancellors’ power to remit or reduce a fee in exceptional circumstances. Provision is also made for refunds and remissions in specified circumstances.Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames (Liberal Democrat) has proposed an amendment to the motion to approve the Order which is ‘that this House declines to approve the draft Order, because it would be an abuse of the fee-levying power, since the proposed increased fees substantially exceed the cost involved in making grants of probate and would amount to a tax, which should only be introduced, if at all, by primary legislation.”If this amendment is agreed by the House the draft Order will be stopped and will not pass into law. Lord Beecham (Labour) has also proposed a motion to regret against the Order, on the grounds that it will introduce a revised non-contentious probate fee structure considered by the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee to be “so far above the actual cost of the service [it] arguably amounts to a stealth tax and, therefore, a misuse of the fee-levying power” under section 180 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014; and that this Order represents a significant move away from the principle that fees for a public service should recover the cost of providing it and no more.”If agreed, this motion will not stop the Order, but will provid an opportunity for the House to put on record its regret that the increase in fees is far greater than the actual cost of the service.How do these draft instruments become law?These regulations are presented as a Statutory Instrument (SI). An Act will often contain a broad framework and statutory instruments are used to provide the necessary detail that would be too complex to include in the Act itself. They are also easier to change than an Act – for example to upgrade the rate of payment each year or amend the necessary forms in the light of experience.This instrument is subject to the affirmative procedure, that means they it must be debated in both Houses before it can be made law. A vote can be taken on them if the House wishes but is not essential. Further informationImage: House of Lords 2018 / Photography by Roger Harris

13 December 2018The Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill had its committee stage, the first chance for line by line scrutiny, in the Lords on Wednesday 12 December.This is a private member’s bill. A private member’s bill is a type of public bill (that affects the public). Private members’ bills must go through the same set of procedures as other public bills.

This bill aims to amend the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 to require that residential rented accommodation is provided and maintained in a state of fitness for human habitation; to amend the Building Act 1984, making provision for the liability for works on residential accommodation that do not comply with Building Regulations.As no changes were suggested to the bill, a motion was agreed to that both committee and report stages be dispensed with and that the bill progress directly to third reading. This procedure is known as ‘order of commitment discharged’.Third reading, a chance to ‘tidy up’ the bill and make changes, is scheduled for 19 December.Second readingThe Homes (Fitness for Human Habitation) Bill had it second reading, the key debate on the draft law’s purpose and principles, on 23 November.Lords news: Private member’s bills November 2018Further InformationImage: iStockphoto

12 December 2018Members of the Lords, including a former lecturer in youth and community work at Sunderland Polytechnic and a former health education advisor for the Inner London Education Authority, will debate the challenges facing young people, in the House of Lords on Thursday 13 December.

This is a general debate. They normally take place on a Thursday in the chamber. During debates, members are able to put their experience to good use, discussing current issues and drawing the government’s attention to concerns.The debate was proposed by Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top (Labour), former lecturer in youth and community work at Sunderland Polytechnic.Members expected to take part include:Earl of Listowel (Crossbench), board member and trustee of the Child and Family Practice Charitable FoundationBaroness Massey of Darwen (Labour), former health education advisor for the Inner London Education AuthorityLord Norton of Louth (Conservative), ambassador for the Albert Kennedy Trust support organisation for homeless LGBT+ young peopleLord Storey (Liberal Democrat), former primary school head teacher and co-chair of the Liberal Democrat PPC on Education, Families and Young PeopleLord Agnew of Oulton (Conservative), parliamentary under-secretary in the Department for Education, will respond on behalf of the government.Further informationImage: iStockphoto

11 December 2018The Regenerating Seaside Towns Committee will be taking evidence from two panels of witnesses.The first panel will focus on coastal erosion and flood risk, while the second focuses on the role of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs).

WitnessesTuesday 11 December in Committee Room 2A, Palace of WestminsterAt approximately 3.20pmCatherine Wright, Director of Digital & Skills (Flood & Coastal Risk Management), Environment AgencyDr Ned Garnett, Associate Director of Research, Natural Environment Research CouncilAt approximately 4.10pmMr Adam Bryan, Managing Director, South East LEPMr Jonathan Sharrock, Chief Executive, Coast to Capital LEPPossible questionsQuestions the Committee is likely to ask include:How big a threat is coastal erosion and flooding to seaside towns and communities?Is sufficient funding available to tackle the effects of coastal erosion?How can spending on coastal defences deliver better value for money?How does the approach taken by local authorities to coastal defence schemes vary? Can this be improved?What is being done to improve the quality of the bathing water around seaside towns? How important is this for the tourism offer of seaside towns?How can LEPs help seaside towns to diversify their economies and support regeneration in coastal areas?What level of focus do LEPs give to the needs of seaside towns – and are they more focused upon cities and major urban centres?How might coastal towns and communities benefit from the proposed Shared Prosperity Fund?How could changes to public funding better support longer-term planning and foster more sustainable regeneration in coastal areas?What consideration should be given to seaside towns and coastal communities during the development of Local Industrial Strategies?Further informationImage: iStockphoto

10 December 2018The Tenant Fees Bill has its report stage, a further chance to examine the bill and make changes, in the Lords on Tuesday 11 December.

Members are expected to discuss the transfer of deposits to a second landlord or agent, the approval and designation of client money protection schemes and the requirement to belong to such a scheme.Lords committee stage day two: Tuesday 20 NovemberMembers discussed the early termination of tenancies and payments in respect of identity and immigration status checks.Report stage, a further chance to examine the bill and make changes, is scheduled for 5 December.Lords committee stage day one: Monday 5 NovemberThe first day of committee stage of this bill took place in Grand Committee, a room outside the Lords chamber. In Grand Committee, any member can take part and decisions on amendments can be made, but no votes can take place.Members discussed a range of subjects, including:the government’s duty to provide tenants with guidance on the effects of this billthe reimbursement of costs incurred by enforcement agencies in the exercise of their dutiesthe requirement of tenants to make payments to cover a landlord or agent’s loss due to a breach of the tenancy contractLords second reading: Wednesday 10 OctoberMembers discussed unfair letting fees, compensation payments to tenants and home share schemes.Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth (Conservative), parliamentary under-secretary in the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, responded on behalf of the government.Tenant Fees Bill summaryThis bill will aim to:make renting fairer and more affordable for tenants by reducing the costs at the outset of a tenancyimprove transparency and competition in the private rental marketban letting fees paid by tenants in Englandimprove fairness, competition and affordability in the lettings sectorFurther informationImage: iStockphoto